Term: Isaac Newton

DEFINITIONS

Isaac Newton: (1643*-1727) Virtually every school child knows the story of how an Apple supposedly fell on Newton�s head, leading him to discover the laws of gravity. High school and college students are familiar with Newton�s laws of physics. However, few today are familiar with the fact that Newton was as interested in both physical and metaphysical sciences. John Michael Greer, in The New Encyclopedia of the Occult, attributes this to scientists of the 18th century and onward thinking that Newton�s occult interests, especially his voluminous writings on alchemy, were an �embarrassment� and dismissed them while biographies ignored this aspect of his life. His alchemical writings were not even published until the late 20th century.

Newton�s work on optics should have given people a clue as to his mystical leanings. Newton came up with a clever experiment that proved that prisms did not color light, as many scholars (including Descartes, Robert Hooke, and Edward Boyle) had thought, but broke it down into component parts. He said that white light broke down into seven colors: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet. However, anyone looking at the colors created by a prism or a rainbow will see literally thousands of colors that blend into each other. Newton chose seven as the number of colors because of that number�s mystical value: seven days of the week, on the seventh day God rested, the seven planets, the seven heavens, the seven churches, etc.

Today, many Western teachings on color focus on the seven-color system of Newton. Even Eastern ideas have been adapted. For example, although traditional associations of colors to the seven chakras of Indian mysticism are different, in the West, they are usually attributed to the colors and order created by Newton.

* Some give his birth as 1642. During his lifetime, the Western calendar was changed to its modern form, thus moving his birth date to 1643.

Also See: Sir Isaac Newton, Newton, Isaac

ARTICLES

The Well Worn Path Review

Summary: A deck that is specifically directed toward Pagans, Witches and Wiccans. Not a Tarot, the forty cards represent foundational Pagan concepts. While not for Rider-Waite-Smith purists, this deck is well-suited to the many tens of thousands of ...

Relevance:

Are You Haunted?

Most of us enjoy a good bone-tingling scare. As a whole, we spend millions of dollars each year trying to satisfy our darker side. We like our horror movies, can�t wait to get on death-defying rides, and we spend countless hours reading the latest thrillers. So let�s be honest�fear sells, and there�s nothing quite like the idea of ghosts to give... read this article

	How to Learn Tarot
	Steampunk and Tarot Are a Perfect Match
	Table Tipping: More Than Just Spirit Communication
	Astrology and Intuition: A Dynamic Duo
	Psychic Development: Bare the Soles to Bare the Soul

Most recent posts:

A Ohe Pau Ko Ike I Kou Halau
As I mentioned in my previous blog post, I recently assisted at a training for 175 people who wanted to be certified as NLP practitioners. In that...

New Moon in Gemini, May 20, 2012
The New Moon in Gemini occurred yesterday at 7:47 pm EDT (11:47 pm GMT), Sunday, May 20, 2012, at 0 degrees. New moons signify a new cycle, new...

Sun Enters Gemini 2012: Forecast for the Year Ahead
Gemini, The Twins May 20 to June 20 Modality: Mutable Element: Air Ruler: Mercury Keywords: Versatile, charming, engaging, witty, restless,...